Damon What have you gotten youself into now?
by Princess Shido
Summary: What happens when Damon shows up again, asking for the team's help? Will Ziva let him walk away for a fourth time?
1. Chapter 1

**Damon, Damon. What have you gotten yourself into now?**

**I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, especially Damon Werth. I wish I owned him, but sadly I dont. Very sadly. First NCIS fic so please read and review. It would be greatly appreciated.**

As the elevator doors opened, Ziva's chocolate colored eyes swept the hallway and adjacent doorways for signs of trouble. Tony called it paranoid. She called it the reason she was still alive. Being sloppy with your surroundings could get you killed. Finding no overt signs of impending attack, she slowy exited. When she reached her door, she looked around one more time before kneeling. It was her habit not to use keys when entering her own home. Keys were too easy to copy. Instead, she produced a slim pair of lockpicks. She took a cursory look at her neighbor's door. The woman was nosy to say the least. First time she had done this, the woman had called the cops. She had told them that a terrorist was breaking into her neighbor's apartment. Ziva had been able to spin some story about losing her key and using her goverment sanctioned actions to get in. It also helped some that she worked for said goverment, with the credentials to match. The cops had promised to leave her alone from then on. The woman's door remained closed. Thanking God for small favors, she turned back to the task at hand. The moment her fingers brushed the doorknob, it swung open. Ziva was on high alert, and had her gun drawn before she was fully upright. She felt her mouth go dry, and her palms start to sweat. Ever since Somalia, this had become a common occurance. Whenever she would draw her gun, She would see her teammates being tortured. It wasnt unusual for her, having gone through Mossad training at an obscenely young age, but watching her friends go through it was another matter. Shaking the haunting images away, she slowly pushed the door open, dreading the thought of what could happen next.

Before she fully entered, she glanced at the powder blue carpeting on the floor. It was another one of her habits to vacuum the carpeting from her bedroom, down the hallway, to the front door. Every morning. It always left the carpeting pristine. Which was exactly the way she had left it that morning. Except now it had a set of footprints leading back to her bedroom. It was only one set, so whoever it was had to still be there. She swept through all the adjoining rooms anyway. She couldn't find any other footprints, but you could never be too cautious. Finally satisfied, she crept into her bedroom. No one would assume that the blue and white bedroom suit belonged to her. That was why she liked it. It was unexpected. Abby was the nly oe who knew about it having helped her pick it out. There was no one in the bedroom proper, but a light shone from the adjoining bathroom. A constantly moving shadow and unintelligable mumbling told her that her intruder was there. This confused her slightly. She kept no valuables in there, not even medication. Who broke in just to use the bathroom? Pushing her confusion, and the almost overwhelming anxiety aside, she turned the corner and started to yell for them to freeze, but the word died in her throat before it had a chance to escape.

Her intruder wore nothing but a pair of snug fitting jeans that hugged a perfectly shaped body. She could only see him from the back, but what little she saw, she liked. He was about 6'2", with dark hair cut short, military style, with broad muscular shoulders and lightly tanned skin that told her that he was no stranger to hard work, especially outdoors. She also noticed that he was barefoot. A quick peek revealed no shoes in either the bathroom nor the bedroom. She hadn't seen any on her walkthrough of the apartment. What kind of burgler, broke in without a shirt or shoes? A longer look revealed much of the same, except this time she noticed the blood. He seemed to be bleeding from his lower lefthand side. Which explained why he was in her bathroom. He had one of her black handtowels pressed up against his side to stop the bleeding. It appeared to ba a gnshot wound. It hadn't hit him directly, just grazed his lower ribs. In her assessment, he would live. Without warning, he spun, throwing the towel at her. While she was distracted, he bowled straight at her. He was quick, but she was quicker. Not even thinking, she ducked to the side and, in a move that would make tony proud, stuck her foot out. He hit it pefectly, and went sprawling into her bed. He fell into the mass of ruffles and ribbons and twisted to pull himself up. Ziva winced slightly at the smear of blood he left on the pale blue coverlet. Before he could regain his footing, Ziva closed the distance with a single leap and landed directly on him, pinning his arms down with her legs. A sig-saur to the forehead put an end to his thrashing around and it was then that she was able to get a good look at him. His gaze met hers defiantly. Amazed, she lowered her gun slowly. Beautiful Hazel eyes, full pouty lips that rarely curved in a smile. She knew him. She had never forgotten once haunted her dreams. At least, till Somalia. She whispered his name, it almost sounding like a sigh.

"Damon."


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, especially Damon Werth. I wish I owned him, but sadly I dont. Very sadly. I also don't own the show Top Shot. First NCIS fic so please read and review. It would be appreciated. Thank you earanemith fr your story alert, review and encouraging words. Also thank you to NCIS Connection and FreshPrinceofBally for your story alerts.**

He looked up through the haze of pain and adrenaline at the woman on top of him. She looked somewhat familiar, but he wasn't about to spend much time thinking about it, considering she had a gun pointed at his head. He heard her whsper his name before lowering her gun. He took this as an opening to grab her wrist, successfuly disarming her, and throwing her of balance. He twisted his body around, his ribs screaming in agony, and was able to pin her beneath him. One of his hands was large enough to capture both of her wrists, which he pinned above her head. It amazed him that whoever was trying to kill him would send such a delicate woman after him, but that wasn't going to stop him from killing her if he needed too. With his other hand, he pointed her own gun straight at her. Then he saw her eyes. She had a look that he himself had worn once upon a time. The Thousand Mile Stare. The look of sheer terror. It spoke volumes to him. He slowly lowered the gun and laid it on the bed a few feet from him. Close enough for him to reach, but not her. He took his free hand and brushed the side of her throat gently. Her pulse was beating rapidly. Like the wings of a bird beating its wings against the bars of its cage. It was then that he knew that he was frightening her. Damon slowly maneuvered his body so that he wasnt lying directly on top of her. This seemed to calm her down a bit. He watched as the pink tip of her tongue snaked out and moistened her pinker lips.

"Damon, please. Its Ziva. Let go of me so I can help you."

He frowned. He remembered Ziva. The woman who, no matter what, semmed tobelieved in him. Even when he didn'y believe in himself. Damon blinked a few times. Slowly the familiar figure focused. Her eyes were no longer filled with fear. It had changed to...concern, and dare he hope, love? "Im sorry Ziva." He said softly, "I came here for help and I end up assaulting you, again." She sat up, rubbing her wrists. The former marine winced as he saw the blssoming purple bruises already starting to form. He shook his head, disgusted at himself. It seemed no matter what, he ended up hurting her. Maybe his family were right. He shouldn't be around civilized people. Damon broke free from this line of thought when Ziva knelt down in front of him.

"Come on Damon." she said sofly. "I need to take a look at your ribs."

His face was filled with shock. She still wanted to help him? Even after what he did? It took him a moment to get his head on straight and focus. The lack of sleep, combined with his body coming down from an adrenaline high, was making it difficult.

Ziva took his hand and stood up very slowly, not wanting to spook him again. He stood as well and followed her into her bathroom. As he was 7 inches taller than she, Ziva had to drop to her knees in order to take a look at his wound. She picked up the discarded washcloth, and soaked it in some cool water before dabbing it against his side. He hissed slightly at the contact but that was it. It took a few minutes for the bleeding to finally slow enough for her to take a good look at it. "What the hell happened Damon? It looks like you got shot!" His lips twitched slightly at this. "Thats because I did Ziva. I got shot."

She loked up at him, wondering if he was being a typical sarcastic american. The look on his face said that he was being deadly serious with her. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. "Then could you please explain to me, why you got shot and how you broke into my apartment?" He winced at the tone of her voice. She was mad. REAL mad.

"Well, I just got a job here in town. I was finished moving all my stuff and was planning on getting a shower before coming by to visit, to let you know that I was in town. As I was leaving my place, the sun was just starting to set. Thats when I caught a flash of light out of the corner of my eye. I didn't think, I just reacted. Next thing I know, It felt like my side was on fire. I knew from experience, that I had been shot. I did the only thing that I could think of. Hauled ass here."

She nodded her head slightly. "Your lucky. The bullet only grazed you. It will hurt, alot, but you'll heal."

He nodded slightly. He was angry. At himself most of all. He was a trained soldier, and here he was, running away from danger instead of towards it. Ziva could sense his conflicted emotions. She could understand his frustration. She would no doubt feel the same way if she were in his socks.

When she was finished bandaging up his side, she took a moment to look up at him. His gaze was fixed and determined. More importantly, he wasn't paying attention to her. With an impish smile, she gave in to temptation and gave him a long hard look up and down. Whatever he was doing, she hoped he kept it up. It was working. His body was lean and hard. With pefectly chiseled muscles. She pushed her lustful thoughts away. What was she thinking? No guy wants a girlfriend who can kick his ass. Tony said so. Not that she should really listen to him, but he had been in enough relationships to be considered an expert, right? With a regretful sigh, she snapped her fingers a couple of times. He looked down with a look of surprise on his face, as if he had forgotten she was there. Without thinking, he reached down and took her hand to help her up.

She came up to quickly, was momentarily thrown off balance, and practically fell in his arms. Blushind a vivid shade of scarlet, she pullled away and busily started washing her hands. When she was done, she turned to find him inches away. She gasped slightly. He smirked at her, looking pleased at having startled her and like he knew what she had been thinking the moment previous. "So. What do we do now?" She shrugged slighty. "Well, you can't go back home. Stay here tonight, and we will go to NCIS headquarters in the morning."

He shook his head slightly."Are you sure Gibbs will be willing to help me ? Your friend McGee is scared of me, and Tony, Im pretty sure he hates me." This caused her to laugh. "He dosnt hate you, He's jealous of you." This made him laugh as well. "Besides, whats the worst that can happen?" His face grew serious. "Gibbs could refuse and I could die." Ziva shook her head. "Not happening. If Gibbs says no, Ill take some vacation time and help you." He smiled again, causing Ziva's heart to flutter. "How can a man refuse that?"

With plans made, the pair curled up together on the sofa. Him on one end while she sat on the other. Halfway through "Top Shot" on the history channel, he glanced over and noticed that she had fallen asleep with her head resting on the armrest. Knowing that she would wake with horrible neck pain, he scooped her up gently, and carried her to her bed. She had changed into her pajamas earlier so all he had to do was tuck her in. He also took her gun from where it had been discarded by him earlier and placed it on the nightstand next the the bed. Damon then took a quick look around and focused on her bedspread which was covered with rust colored blood stains. His blood. Without a second thought, he tugged it off the bed and replaced it with a thick quilt. He quietly carried it out, closing her door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, especially Damon Werth. I wish I owned him, but sadly I dont. Very sadly. First NCIS fic so please read and review. Im begging. Thank you earanemith for your newest review and encouraging words, again. A big thank you to Nemisses for your story alert.**

Ziva was slow to wake the next morning, but once she had, everything came flooding back. She sat bolt upright and looked around for any sign of Damon. He was nowhere in her room which, to her, was a relief. He was probably in the living room still asleep. Shrugging, she quickly and quietly began to dress. Technically, she had the day off and wasnt due to go in, so she dressed down in a pair of jeans and a tank top. Once her morning ritual was over, she slipped down the hallway to the livingroom. There, she found Damon stretched out on the couch. Her pet cat, Gypsy, was curled up on top of him, purring like a cat posessed. Ziva stood there, thinking for a moment. Considering how high-strung he had been in the past, she knew that shaking him awake was out of the question. So was trying to get him up verbally. Then, she had a moment of utter brilliance. She moved to the kitchen and pulled out a pack of bacon. She remembered Tony saying once that instead of buying exspensive perfume, women should just rub themselves down with a slab of bacon. Thats wht turned him on. Usually, she didnt eat the stuff, but for some reason the week before, she had bought it on a whim.

While the bacon started sizzling in the pan, she noticed something out of the ordinary. Folded up neatly on her dryer, was the comforter from her bed. She hadnt even noticed that it was missing from her room. She gave herself a mental headslap, Gibbs style. She was starting to get sloppy in her complacency. She also realized that he had actually taken the extra step and washed it free of blood, and had then dried it. _What was that man thinking? I hope he realizes that he didnt HAVE to do that. _Ziva heard a soft chiming sound behind her, interrupting her internal thought process. Her beloved four legged mammal was patiently waiting for her breakfast, which was long overdue. After feeding Gypsy, She transferred the bacon to a plate and replaced it in the pan with a couple of eggs. While they fried, she scooped the kitten up into her arms. "What do you think Gyppy?" She cooed. "Do you think Damon will wake up when he smells his breakfast?" The calico wriggled free from her arms and delicately lept to the floor. Ziva turned back to her eggs, and was just plating them when she sensed someone standing behind her. She spun to find Damon standing about a foot away.

"Dammnit Damon! Do you have to sneak up on me like that?"

He gave her a rare smile, showing off a set of heavenly dimples. "Yeah. I like making you jump."

Ziva tried her hardest to be mad at him, but couldnt. She just shook her head at him. "Your going to do that one day and your gonna end up getting shot. By me! I'll let you know right now, I don't shot to wound. I shoot to kill !"

He shrugged nonchalantly as he sat down to eat. "Whats the point in shooting someone just to wound them. If your going to shoot, make sure they stay down. Thats my advice."

Ziva nodded at the wisdom in his words. Thats how they were trained in Mossad. She could honestly see his point of view. She could also see something else. "Damon? Did you let your hair grow out again? I could have sworn it was short the last time I saw you."

He ran a hand through it self consciously. "Yeah. Abby told me that she liked it long. That it gave me a more 'dangerous' look. Very sexy. She also told me that she gave you a cat for your birthday." He indicated Gypsy with his head. "Is that her?"

Ziva was shocked at the idea of Abby and Damon talking to each other. The last time she had heard, Abby hated Damon for what he had done to her, Tony, and McGee. "Yeah, thats my Gypsy. I still don't understand the point of giving presents just to celebrate your coming into this world, but now I wouldn't give that cat up for anything in this world." Damon smiled again. He never would have pegged Ziva for an animal lover.

"So, whats the plan for today?"

"I was hoping you could tell me."

He chewed thoughtfully. "Well, I would like to go how real quick so I could change my clothes, and then we could go to NCIS afterwards. I really don't want to show up wearing a bloodstained t-shirt and jeans."

Ziva frowned at that. If they went back, he would be a prime target for snipers, or, they might have laid out an ambush and were just waiting for him to show up. Either situation ended with the same thing. Damon getting shot at again. She started to tell him that it was out of the question, but when he turned the full force of his eyes on her, she found herself relenting. "Ok. As long as you make it fast. I dont want you to be a target any longer than is absolutely necessary."

He gave her a devilish smile. "Some of the best things in life are slow,and I happen to do them all very well."

"Give me one example."

"I'll give you three. Slow dancing, leads to slow kissing which turns into slow..." His smile widened."I'll explain the last one later. Now is not the time, we need to go."

He hurried out the door leaving Ziva to wonder what he meant by that last comment.

She knew this was a bad idea. Her eyes were constantly scanning for any potential threat. The front door, fire escape, the rooftops opposite his building, a continual circuit. "Damon, hurry it up. We got to go."

"Alright, I'm coming I'm coming. Relax." Ziva turned towards his voice just i time to see a glimpse of skin dissapear beneath his shirt. "I cant relax, because thats when mistakes happen. People get hurt."

Damon thought saw a fleeting, haunting look of pain in her eyes as she said this, but it was gone in an instant. He wondered if he had actually imagined it. of "I wonder what Gibbs is going to say when he sees me."

_Now we get to the good stuff. What will Gibbs say? What did Damon and Abby say to each other that made them such good friends? Will Ziva realize her feelings for Damon, and what will Tony have to say about that?_


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own NCIS or any of its characters, especially Damon Werth. I wish I owned him, but sadly I dont. Very sadly. First NCIS fic so please read and review. Im begging. Thank you earanemith for your newest review and encouraging words, again. Sorry for not updating in a while. The plot-bunnies for one of my other stories took over and I just now was able to escape.**

The elevator doors opened and Damon stepped out, feeling rather self-concious. The room still looked the same. Tony and McGee to his right, While Gibbs and Ziva's desks to his left. Gibbs was conspicuously absent, so Tony was busy throwing paper air-planes at a typing McGee. Damon let out a breath that he had been unconciously holding in, and Ziva squeezed his hand. "Relax Damon, you need to learn to relax." He smiled at her. "I'll relax when people stop shooting at me, thank you very much."

She smiled in spite of herself. Her smile got wider as she saw the look of disbelief on Tony's face. He still had'nt forgiven Damon for dislocating his nose. "Oh my God, he's back." McGee looked up from his computer, and his jaw dropped when he saw Damon. "He..hello, Corporal Werth." Damon nodded. "DiNozzo, McGee."

"Where's Gibbs?"

"He's in MTAC with the Director."

Ziva looked over at Damon, and a silent converation passed between them "Ok, when he gets out, you three meet us in Abby's lab, and make sure NO ONE tells the director. At least not yet." McGee and Tony glanced back and forth at each other. They really weren't sure about that. Tony, however, was busy looking at Damon and Ziva's entertwined hands. Thats when he decide that he was willing to do it, especially if it meant getting Werth in trouble. "Sure." he said with a smarmy smile. "No problem. I'll let him know just as soon as he's free." Ziva frowned at the look on his face but said nothing about it. "Alright. See you guys in a few minutes."

She waited till the elevator doors shut before bursting intopeals of laughter. "ou are so mean!" she laughed. "You don't need to terrify everyone you meet." He grinned back. "They just need to remember, I am the top dog." "Don't let Gibbs hear you say that." He laughed. "Trust me, I'm not THAT stupid."

Once they reached the basement where the morgue and Abby's labby were, he pause outside the lab. They could see through the doors that Abby had her back to them, Swaying back and forth. Since there was no music blaring, she apparently had her earbuds in. That's when a wild thought cossed Damon's mind. He silently pushed the door open and the pair slipped in, unnoticed. Once inside, he pulled away frm Ziva, and crept up behind Abby, and in one swift move, he swept her up into his arms and spun her around a few times. Her shriek of fear soon turned into happy laughter. Once he put her down, she yanked her earbuds out and turned to see who was behind her.

"Damon? Oh sweetheart I'v missed you."

She wrapped her arms around him tightly. "What are you doing here? Look at your hair, I love it." At this, she reached up and tugged his pontail lightly. "You said it would be a few months before you came back."

He gave her a sarcastic smile. "I was hoping to surprise you, but I got into a head on collision with a bullet. It was going up one side of the street, I was on the other, next thing I knew, it jumped the center line and BAM!"

"Oh Damon! Are you ok?" Shee loked him over critically, as if she had missed something the first time around.

He nodded the the petite goth. "Yeah, Im ok. Ziva patched me up. She's a good medic."

Abby suddenly grabbed his hand. "Yeah, but I still want you to see Ducky. Not that I don't trust Ziva, its just Ducky's a doctor. Well ok he's actually a medical examiner, but..." Her excited sentence was cut off when Damon put his hand over her mouth. "Ok, Abby. If it will make you feel better, then I'll go."

"Corporal Werth, my dear boy. How are you? You said you wouldn't be here fore a few more months. Did the plans change?" Ducky questioned. Damon gave him an embarrassed smile. "Not to good Doctor. I was out on the street last night and somebody took a shot at me. Thankfully, all it did was graze my side. Ziva was able to take care of it, however, that answer wasn't good enough for Abby. She would like you to take a look at it for me."

"Of course, of course. Always happy to help a friend in need. Looking over the wounds of my living friends its starting to become a bit of a habit, I'm afraid. Perhaps I should have become a doctor instead. So, how about your plans?"

Damon hopped up onto one of the autopsy tables. "No, nothing has changed. Not yet at least." Once on the table, he tugged off his shirt, wincing slightly as the cold air hit his bared skin. Ziva was more than content to quietly stare, but not Abby.

"Damn Damon! You do know about the mandatory drug testing, right?"

He laughed. Won't do me any good. My doctor has me on low dose steroids for my anemia. He said that I was tDoing the right thing, the wrong way'. I was giving myself too high a dose, thus the psychotic break."He hung his head slightly, ashamed. Ziva quietly touched his hand. He looked up, and their eyes met in a moment of silent understanding.

Thats when the doors slid open. "Jethro, come to check on the poor boy have you? I assure you, his wounds look much worse than they actually are."

During this, Abby glanced over at Ziva, without her friend noticing. She was too busy staring at Damon. Abby wondered if Ziva knew how bad she had it for the disgraced marine. Thats when a sneaky little idea blossomed in her dark little head. First however, she needed to find out how Damon felt about Ziva.

Gibbs turned to Damon, who still sat on the autopsy shook his head with a sigh. "Damnit, Damon. What have you got yourself into this time?"

_not too happy with tis chapter. Had a hard time making it move. Hopefully, the next one will be much better._


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm baaaack! Sorry for not updating in forever, but one of my other shows pretty much took over my life. Since I ran dry as far as story ideas for them, I decided to come back to Damon and Ziva. Before anyone cries "Foul" I cannot for the life of me, remember what happened to Colonel Bell, so go with it.**

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><p>Damon was silent as he got off the table and pulled his shirt over his head. "Well, Agent Gibbs, I just got so lonely, I decided to come by for a visit."<p>

Gibbs shook his head. "Your not even here for a week, and your already getting shot at. Pretty soon, your track record is gonna look like DiNozzo's, minus the pissed of girlfriends."

"Trust me, I like a girl who if she has a problem with me, she can take it up with me. None of this, going behind my back stuff. I want a girl who can keep me in line."

Damon and Tony shared a meaningful look with each other, Tony bristling visibly. Apparently, Wurth thought he was better than him in the relationship department.

"Good for you. Now can someone tell me whats going on?"

Damon stood a little straighter and looked Gibbs in the eye. "I was walking out of my place, when I saw a flash of light out of the corner of my eye. Now that I think about it, it was probably the sun catching on a rifle scope. They shot me, Ziva patched me up, and I came here, looking for help."

Gibbs thought for a moment. "Any idea who would want to shoot you?"

Tony shifted his weight slightly. "I can think of a few.'' He muttered under his breath.

All eyes turned to him. "Care to enlighten us, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

Tony binked at this. He had actually forgotten that Gibbs hearing was so acute. He had to scramble to cover himself. "Colonel Bell is out of business, what about him?''

He's in jail, DiNozzo."

Tony winced. "right, Boss."

Gibbs looked at them all. "Well, since Wurth is no longer in the Marines, we are legally responsible for handing this case over to the local p.d, right McGee?"

"Uh...yeah Boss."

Damon looked crestfallen. Ziva moved closer to him and squeezed his hand, reassuringly. This did not go unnoticed by Abby.

"Then I would like to take some time of then, Gibbs." Ziva said, looking him straight in the face to let him know her intentions.

Ignoring her, Gibbs looked back to McGee. ''Would you say that this situation might involve a member of the Navy, and or, Marines?"

"I would say that it is a good possibility, sir."

Everyone save Damon, Ziva, and Tony seemed to catch on. "If there is the slimmest chance of that..." Ducky caught on.

"Then wouldn't you be obligated to check it out, McGee?" Abby asked, all innocence.

He smiled."Yes we would."

Damon and Ziva broke out in smiles while Tony glared. Looking after "SuperSoldier" wasn't exactly his idea of a good day. Why wouldn't he just go away and stay away? Still...Tony looked to Ziva, who was really smiling for the first time since coming back from Somalia. If Damon could do that, then Tony was willing to put up with him for the time being. "So, whats our first step, boss?"

Gibbs pointed at Damon."You stay here and work with Abby on a list of possible enemies." He looked at the other three."You are all coming with me to Worth's place. If it was a sniper, then we need to find his perch, and gather as much evidence as we can before the scene gets contaminated too much."

Ziva shook her head. "I'm sorry, Gibbs. If I had been thinking properly, I would have tried to gather some this morning."

"Don't worry about it, Ziva. If you had the courts would have ruled it inadmissible, anyway." He turned and snapped his fingers. "Come on, lets go!" Giving Damon a last look, Ziva followed the other Agents without a word.

He looked to Abby. "Is it always like that when you work with him?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but I'm sure you'll survive the case. Now, to the lab!" She grabbed Damon's hand and practically dragged him away.

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><p><strong>Next chapter is when we get to the good stuff, and the chapter after, Tony interrogates Ziva about Damon.<strong>


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